Machine for manufacturing fire-kindlers, &amp; c.



No...6.36,530. Patented Nov. 7, I899.

C. HDFF &. G. H. KLOTTER.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING FIRE KINDLERS, 8L0.

(Application filed July 1, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.-

J 4&7. V64 6423 we ubRRIS PETERS so]. PHOTO-LITHD., WASHINGTON, u. c.

No. 636,530. Y Patented Nov. 7, I899.

C. HOFF &. G. H. KLO.TTER.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING FIRE KINDLERS, &.c.

(Application filed July 1 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

c m N m a m A s A w Q H w m T m s R z m s n R 9 N z A T UNITED STATESCHARLES HOFF AND GEORGE H.

PATENT OFFICE.

KLOTTER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 636,530, dated November'7, 1899.

Application filed July 1, l 8 9 9 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES Horn and GEORGE H. KLOTTEB, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton andState of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mixing andConcentrating Machines for Use in the Manufacture of Fire-Kindlers,Sausages, Popcorn Balls, and other Compounded Commodities, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for mixingand forming or molding plastic or compound materials, and has for itsobject to provide a machine or apparatus of a simple and inexpensivenature and of a strong and durable construction which shall be adaptedfor use in intimately mixing plastic or semiplastic mate; rials and forforming them into shape, the machine being more especiallydesigned forthe manufacture of fire-kindlers from coalslack, sawdust,,wood-shavings,and similar waste material. v The invention consists in certain novelfeatures of the construction, combination, and arrangement of theseveral parts of the improved machine, whereby certain importantadvantages are attained and the device is made simpler, cheaper, andotherwise better adapted and more convenientfor use, all as will behereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate our invention,Figure l is a vertical section taken longitudinally through a machineembodying the invention, and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross-section takenvertically through the same in the plane indicated by the line a a inFig. 1. Fig. 3 isa fragmentary cross-section taken vertically throughthe machine in the plane indicated by the line b b in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isafragmentary sectional plan taken in the plane indicated by the line 0cin Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is afragmentary sectional plan taken in the planeindicated by the lined d in Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, the frame of the machine is constructed of endpieces 1, connected at their lower parts by means of a longitudinalbrace or tie rod 2 and at their upper parts by means of a bed-plate 3,whereon .is secured, by means of suitable brackets 4, the cylinder 5 ofthe machine, having a feedopening 6, whereat the materials to be mixedand molded are introduced from a hopper 7, arranged over the cylinder atthe rear end of the machine. The hopper 7 is, by preference, constructedwith a vertical partition 8 extending across it and serving to divideits in terior into two compartments, one of which is adapted to receivesawdust, wood-shavings, chips, or the like, and the other of which isadapted to receive the coal-slack from which the fire-kindlers are to bemanufactured.

Thehopper 7 is provided at its upper part or mouth with a screen 9 ofrectangular form, mounted for sliding movement in a guideway 10, formedin'the walls of the hopper. The screen 9 has imparted to it a shakingmovement to cause it to sift or screen the materialsto be fed to thecylinder before they are introduced into the hopper, and said screen isprovided witha central partition 11, extended across it in line with thepartitionti of the hopper and adapted to keep the materials intrcducedinto the respective compartments of the hopper separated from each otherwhile being screened. The lower end of the hopper is controlled bya flatvalve 12, mounted to slide in a valve-chamber 13 beneath the hopper andin the upper wall of the cylinder 5 at the rear of the feed-opening 6therein, said valve being arranged to extend,'as shown in the drawings,beneath each of the compartments of the hopper and being also providedwith actuating means, as will be hereinafter described.

In the interior of the cylinder 5 is mounted a feed screw or worm 14,held on a shaft 15, extending in the axis of the cylinder and having oneend extended through the head 16 at the rear end of the cylinder andprovided with a toothed gear 17, with which meshes a gear-pinion 18 on adriving-shaft journaled in a bracket 19, bolted to the frame, saiddriving-shaft carrying tight and loose pulleys 20, adapted to receive abelt (not shown) by means of which the shaft may be driven from anysuitable source of power. The drivingshaft also carries outside thebracket 19 a flywheel 21, as shown in Fig. 1. On the pro- 3 ecting endof the cylinder-shaft 15 is also held a bevel gear-wheel 23, with whichmeshes a bevel-pinion 23 on a vertical shaft 24, stepped at its lowerend in the bracket 19 and having suitable journals at its upper part,said shaft having on it an eccentric 25, the strap of which is coupledby a rod 26 with the shakingscreen 9, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4.The shaft 24 also carries at a lower point another eccentric 27, thestrap of which has an adjustable connection 23 with the sliding valve12, which controls the discharge of material from the hopper to thefeed-opening 6 of the cylinder 5. By reason of the adjustable connection28 between the valve 12 and its eccentric 27 the valve may be positionedunder the discharge-outlet of the hopper so as to feed any desiredquantity of materials from the hopper to the cylinder. \Vhen it isdesired to vary the proportions of the mate rials fed from therespective compartments of the hopper, two valves may be employed in theplace of the single a-Ive 12, the inner edges of the valves meetingalong a line heneath the partition 8 of the hopper, as indicated indotted lines at m in Fig. 5, and said two valves may be coupled adjustably to the eccentric 27 independently of one another.

The forward end of the cylinder 5 is con-' structed with an annularprojecting flange 29, whereon fits a similar flange 30, formed on therear end of the discharge-section 34 of said cylinder. The outer face ofthe flange 29 is formed with an annular seat or recess 31, in which isheld to turn between the two flanges 29 and 30 a disk 32, secu red toand held to turn with the forward end of the cylindershaft 15. The disk32 by its engagement with the seat 31 of flange 29 also serves asabearing for the forward end of the cylinder-shaft, and said disk isformed with a multiplicity of openings 33, each tapered in form, beingreduced or contracted at the front face of the disk, through whichopenings the materials mixed within the cylinder are forced by means ofthe feed screw or worm 14into the forward discharge -section 34 of thecylinder. The discharge-section 34 is made tapering in form, beingcontracted at its forward end, and is formed with a flange at said end,to which flange may be secured a suitable die 35 for imparting anydesired form in cross-section to the materials passed through theapparatus.

36 indicates a reservoir or tank adapted to contain a supply of resin orother material in a liquid state, said tank having a pipe 37 leadingfrom its lower part and connecting with a pipe 38, which is controlledby a cock 39, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, and leads down into thedischarge-section 34 of the machine at the front face of the rotativedisk 32 and in position to discharge a supply of liquid resin or thelike upon the materials forced through the openings 33 in said disk. The

pipe 37 also extends rearwardly along the top of the cylinder 5 and iscontrolled by a cock 40, the extremity of the pipe being carried downinto the interior of the cylinder 5, as shown at 41, so as to be capableof discharging a supply of liquid resin or other substance into saidcylinder for mixture with the solid materials fed into the cylinderthrough the feed-opening 6 thereof.

The cylinder 5 and its discharge-section 34 are surrounded bysteam-jackets 42, so that they may be heated to a temperature sufficientto prevent the resin fed into the apparatus from hardening, so as tointerfere with the operation of the feeding devices, and the reservoiror tank 36 is also inclosed in a similar steam-jacket 43 to maintain itscontents at a sufficient temperature.

At the die 35 is arranged a table 44, over which the molded materialpasses when discharged from the apparatus, and at opposite sides of saidtable are provided upwardlyextending guides or standards 45, betweenwhich is held, to play vertically, a cross-head 46, carrying at its rearedge a depending knife 47, adapted, as the cross-head descends, to severthe material at the mouth of the die 35. The cross-head 46 also carriesapresserfoot or stripper 48 beneath it, adapted to engage the moldedmaterial passing over the table 44 from the die 35 before the knife 47has operated, so as to hold the material against lateral movement andalso to strip the material from the knife as the cross-head ascends. Thepresser-foot 48 is carried on rods 49, which extend vertically throughthe crosshead 46 and also through arms at the upper part of saidcross-head and carry springs 50, the upper ends of which engage underthe said arms and the lower ends of which engage collars 51, secured tosaid rods in such a way that the rods are forced elastically downward tohold the presser-foot normally pressed down beneath the cross-head,asshown in Fig. 1. When the cross-head is lowered to sever the moldedmaterial, the presser-foot or stripper 48 is raised on contact with thematerial resting on the table 44 and the springs 50 are placed undertension.

' To operate the cross-head, we provide a link 52, which connects thecross-head with one end of a lever 53, extended lengthwise of themachine, being pivoted on an arm 54, extending above the cylinder,. therear end of said lever being forked, as shown at 55, and having itsforks provided with pins 56 and air ranged to embrace a cam 58 on theupper end of the vertical shaft 24. The pins 56 of the lever 53 engage aslot 57 in the cam 58, so that pivotal movement is imparted to the leveras the shaft turns in such a manner as to raise and lower the cross-head46 to sever the material passing over the table 44.

In operation the solid materials are introduced to the hopper 7 throughthe shakingscreen 9, by means of which any large particles not capableof passing through the perforations 33 of disk 32 are separated, andfrom the hopper such sifted materials are fed in regulated quantities tothe cylinder, through the feed-opening 6 thereof, by means of the valve12. The rotation of the screw or worm 14 serves to move the materialsalong the length of the cylinder and to force them through the disk 32and also serves to intimately mix said materials, the rotation of thedisk 32 serving to bring the mixed materials in a finely-divided form,on passing through the openings 33, in position under the pipe 38 toreceive a supply of liquid resin. The pipe 41 may also be employed tosupply resin to the materials Within the cylinder 5 before passingthrough the opening 33 of the disk 32. After passing through the disk 32and being supplied with the meltedresin the contracted mouth portion ofthe discharge-section 34 will serve to compress the mass of combustiblematerial into a compact form, and the die 35 serves to mold the massdischarged from the apparatus to the desired form in cross-section, theknife 47 being employed to automatically sever the molded material intosuitable lengths for use.

From the above description it will be seen that the machine constructedaccording to our invention is of an extremely simple and inexpensivenature and is especially well adapted for use in the manufacture offirekindlers, and it will also be obvious that the device is capable ofbeing used for other purposessuch, fol-example, as the manufacture ofpopcorn balls, sausages, and the like. It will also be seen that themachine is capable of some modification without material departure fromthe principles and spirit of the invention, and for this reason we donot wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precise form andarrangement of the several parts herein set forth.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. In an apparatus of thecharacter described, the combination of a cylinder, means for forcingmaterial through the same, a hopper having a partition dividing itsinterior into two chambers adapted to contain different materials, ascreen mounted for movement over the hopper, means for operating thescreen, a slide-valve controlling the discharge of material from thechambers of the hopper to the cylinder, and means for operating thevalve, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of acylinder, means for supplying material thereto, means for forcing thematerial through the cylinder, a perforated disk through which thematerial in the cylinder is forced, and a pipe arranged to supply liquidto the material passed through the disk, substantially as set forth.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of acylinder, means for passing material through the same, a rotativeperforated disk through which the material in the cylinder is passed anda pipe arranged to deliver a supply of liquid to the material passedthrough the disk, substantially as set forth.

4a In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of acylinder, a feedworm for forcing material through the same, a shaft onwhich the worm is held, a perfo- .rated disk on said shaft and throughwhich the material in the cylinder is forced, and a pipe arranged todischargea supply of liquid to the material passed through said disk,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands, at Cincinnati,Ohio, this 17th day of June, 1899.

CHARLES HOFF. GEORGE H. KLOTTER.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. J ONES, G. W. CARY.

